Officials: Use Great American Smokeout As Opportunity To Quit Smoking
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Thursday is the Great American Smokeout, and the Illinois Department of Public Health says it's a good day to stop a bad habit.
As WBBM Newsradio's Steve Miller reports, there is a lot of emphasis on the dangers of smoking, and Dr. Craig Conover, the acting director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, says that's the good news.
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"There's certainly a lot of education in the schools that discourage smoking, and if people can get through to age 20 or so without smoking, the chances that they're going to start smoking are very small," Conover said.
But 10 percent of young people 12 to 17 are smokers, and that figure is higher for adults.
"Twenty-one percent of adults in Illinois are smokers now, and they should quit, and they can quit," Conover said.
State officials urge calling the Illinois Tobacco Quitline (1-866-QUIT-YES), a free helpline where trained staffers known as "Quit Coaches" are available to callers 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
